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Ok I'm diving in as I've noticed several of us have lost posts we thought had posted, and there now seems to be a serious risk of losing the whole thread. So thanks for the heads up Karcher. (and i sympathise Frith - i too like to nip back)

I've revisited the first thread of our part 2, posted 28th October 2009. It said:

“

Time for a shiny new thread The old one had got to 4500 odd posts which amounts to 22,500 OS pleasures (at least) It's so good to know that the OS life can be so rewarding.

I'll kick off the new thread.

1) Homemade bread and marmalade for breakfast.

2) A walk over the Malvern Hills to blow away the cobwebs.

3) Drying the washing outside- still, in October.

4) Watching mydaughter making a game out of sweeping the leaves with her friends.

5) The prospect of collecting a big order of meat from the butcher this morning and having my freezer full for less.

1 I worked at home as I must travel in the rest of the week, but vast amount done and a lot of calls, did I mention 8 days mwah mwah.
2 Some roles applied for, and a few phone calls received.
3 Mincemeat al done, it smells wonderful, Courvoisier mixed in, and they are all bottled / labelled up.
4 A rather odd pasta bake with various leftovers and rtc’s.
5 Christmas cards dug out, not written yet, a pleasure being organised.

1) Made a lovely wholesome meal of gammon, cauliflower cheese and veggies for dinner with plenty left over to take to work for lunch tomorrow.
2) Had my hair cut. No major change but feels much fresher and doesn't dangle in my eyes anymore.
3) Sorted out a few more Xmas presents and wrapping paper.
4) Evening in to myself with a bath, chocolate and TV.
5) Don't have to be at work until 11 tomorrow!

Chat with DD1 she was the only one at the airport hotel at that point . So she had first dibs on the double bed

Walked up to friends and then we went to school Christmas fayre. Very warm , very busy.
Walked home.

Was a lady who lunched. At mine! Had five friends over and it was lovely to catch up. Made lentil soup, salad,nibbly bits and pieces. Then teeny tiny mince pies. Lots of laughter.

Nice dog walk when they left, though blooming cold wind.

Some leftover lentil soup for tea.

friend and her daughter popped in.

Odd text from a 'friend' she had messaged this afternoon asking a very random question. When I said who it was from other friend said 'I'm sure I just saw her drive by your house!' So she would have seen all their cars and us sitting in the dining room. Messaged her later. Then had a text saying it looked like she'd missed a lovely lunch and she'd been cleaning her bathrooms on her day off. No, you didn't miss lunch as you hadn't actually been asked.

Tomorrow I have another lunch with just one friend which will be same as today. So everything is all prepped and will just need to make another batch of mince pies, though enough pastry left.

Chat with DD1 she was the only one at the airport hotel at that point . So she had first dibs on the double bed

Walked up to friends and then we went to school Christmas fayre. Very warm , very busy.
Walked home.

Was a lady who lunched. At mine! Had five friends over and it was lovely to catch up. Made lentil soup, salad,nibbly bits and pieces. Then teeny tiny mince pies. Lots of laughter.

Nice dog walk when they left, though blooming cold wind.

Some leftover lentil soup for tea.

friend and her daughter popped in.

Odd text from a 'friend' she had messaged this afternoon asking a very random question. When I said who it was from other friend said 'I'm sure I just saw her drive by your house!' So she would have seen all their cars and us sitting in the dining room. Messaged her later. Then had a text saying it looked like she'd missed a lovely lunch and she'd been cleaning her bathrooms on her day off. No, you didn't miss lunch as you hadn't actually been asked.

Tomorrow I have another lunch with just one friend which will be same as today. So everything is all prepped and will just need to make another batch of mince pies, though enough pastry left.

1) Managed to get up at the crack of dawn to get smaller son to school (8.20) and bigger son to interview (8.45) in good time.

2) Bigger son's interview went OK. Turns out this was just the college part with a maths and English assessment then short interview. The college lady think he will not reach the 2nd interview (with the business owner) as he is only midway through his level 2 and has not actually finished it. Still, son was happy with how it went and motorbike off to college in a chipper mood afterwards.

3) I had a breakfast sandwich in town while I waited for him and had a look around.

4) County suddenly emailed and smaller son will have a new escort "while they investigate". I don't know what will happen if they decide the old escort is fine. School have done nothing whatsoever. :-/

5) Went to see my school friend for a cup of tea.

6) Needed some more small bottles to decant sloe gin in to for TAs. The kilner bottles are hugely overpriced. Went into Homesense and there were 4 bottles, all different and pretty shapes, for £4!

Agree with Aggers that some DRS technology needs looking at, as does its rôle. Thought so yesterday. It's becoming a topic in rugby at the Alma too. The game, whichever code, is played and ref.d by humans. Decisions are mostly good, if infuriating at times. & posited that undermining and weakening of human arbitrage skills, ipso facto, lessens them and weakens the game, all aspects, especially the wider Life lesson of treating 'those two imposters just the same'.

1. Debadgered, late arvo, college salon. Hooray:-)

2. Missed previous day's call<optician, thanks to notspottery, so checked, then drove>town of horse for lunettes, one pair. What a relief. Needless to say, further call re: 2nd pair came to & some hours later, some miles away, in salon. Will collect Fri.

4. These osps started with hot milk+honey, instinctively needed. Wish whatever this lurgy is would go. Hot milk and honey in Lowry mug, good to drink and hold. Comfort.

5. & doesn't do Asda, but located one, town of Gown, dreadful retail park place, en rte to Salon. Their almond icing cheapest by 61p per 500gm pk and 4 cakes=12 pks. Not doing h-m for so many.
#
Well, have limped through this on mob., with 2 sudden blank screens, so tempt fate no further, &.
#
Frith - you have 2 witness proof of taxi person's mouthings. & wants to drag school kicking and screaming into awareness. This psychyte outrages &, which achieves nothing.

I get no joy from waking to the news of loss by 120. That said, and since reading it couldn’t change the score, I did enjoy your post &

Houselef love the thought of pink tree. My children (now25, 24,22) have long had an in joke (8 am most definitely not ‘in’ of hiding a flamingo, quite often in the fridge
For yesterday
1) spent a very cathartic 3.5 hours with admin bod sorting shared file area.
2) lunch was left over garlic pasta - yummy
3) then internationalisation meeting where I learnt lots. Free tea and coffee too
4) As meeting ended at 4 and no one in room till 6 I worked there for a couple of hours still with free tea
5) home to discover BT couldn’t put aerial on house (which is what i said to salesman), long call to bring ensued, resulting in very nice ‘dennis’ assuring me i won’t be charged, tv cancelled. Have shiny new internet box and faster broadband.

Morning everyone, it seems ages since I posted and I've just read through 5 pages!

1) LBM yesterday when I realised we still hadn't turned on the upstairs radiators, they have thermostatically controlled valves and we run with them closed for most of the time. Result is blissfully warm house upstairs!

2) Warmer blankets added to bedding which along with the extra warmth mean sleeping is more likely!

3) SLEEPING!!!

4) It's St.Nicholas Day today, traditional German celebration where shoes are put outside the front door and the elves fill them with goodies! refined UK version is that he sends goodies through the post, yummy! Frohe Weinachts ( Merry Christmas).

5) All the presents are wrapped and put away, most of the Christmas goodies are in the cupboard (we tend to do a German/Scandinavian Christmas rather than a standard UK one) and I'm feeling remarkably mellow this year instead of stressed to the hilt, magic!

Go forward with the vision even if no one else can see it!

No amount of regretting can change the past, and no amount of worrying can change the future!

Did you think you loved them? (really wanted to put 'how could you be sure' then google said that it wasn't PF but DC)

Had bad news yesterday - Dad has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer It was rather out of the blue, and i don't like how they've come to that conclusion ("we just don't think it can be anything else", which doesn't sound good enough to me), but am starting to accept it.

Still there are always pleasures

1. OH gave me a lift to the station - i usually enjoy the walk but was grateful yesterday. And he picked me up when i got back
2. Went to the Uni first (before the diagnosis), and started to get to grips with analysis software
3. Seeing my sister at the hospital and sharing some laughs
4. Dad being more settled when we left (he doesn't know yet), before hand he just kept saying he wanted to go home. We think he can when a care package is in place but not just yet. he was very cross with us because we wouldn't take him home - but was better when we left
5. Jacket spud, beans and cheese for tea - comfort food.

Have a good day all

You're out with a friend in the capital, I'm a thousand leagues under the sea
You're hovering worriedly over your eggs, And I'm pondering trees
I'm wandering long, And I'm pondering trees
For you and me
Guy Garvey

1. Last night mum came round with details of the pensions she had collected over the years. Despite having had a very good career in a complex technical industry, she claimed to not know what to do and didn't know what an annuity was... Anyway, we figured out she can retire next November, around her 62nd birthday, and will have about £1200 per month over her bare bones expenses (God bless historic NHS pensions!!) She is delighted. I also talked to her about the possibility of taking on a hobby jobby and she's excited at the prospect. It shocks me that she hasn't thought more about this as I think about retirement All The Time...and I actually like my job!
2. Unfortunately she brought wine. I ended up having to have a nap this morning until 9am. Thank goodness flexible working means I just texted my boss and let her know I'd be at home today. Will work a bit later to make it up
3. DD came top of her maths class at a test last week, and her 11+ tutor says she's doing really well. If she gets into a grammar we'll save about more than half my take home pay in fees a year. Yowza.
4. Dinner last night was delish. I made a lentil bolognese thing with chopped olives and mushrooms in it. Unfortunately mum had some - unexpectedly - and DH had a huge plate of seconds so there is only enough for me to have my meagre bowl for lunch. Will definitely enjoy it but need a plan B for dinner tonight...beans on toast I think!
5. Final wooden sash window man coming to quote today. Have set myself a deadline to make a decision/book in by the end of the week. Can't wait to have downstairs refurbed and a beautiful white wooden sash in my bedroom rather than the monstrous aluminium thing that's there now.

Oh dear . Haggis is at vets on a drip for 48 hours. He ate 3 mincemeat pies which have raisins in them. Very toxic to dogs...even naughty ones who pinch. Luckily I notice straight away, phoned vets straight away and told to come straight down. I was not expecting him to be kept in. I'm feeling rather lost.

Kids have literally just landed at first stage. Shall speak to them shortly.

Prior to my mincepie gate, it was a nice day.

Friend came for lunch. Had lentil soup, nibbly bits, salad, crackers , cheese, I made cranberry sauce which was delicious and made 6 mince pies.which were also delicious. Also made a lovely banana bread. Lovely afternoon chatting and laughing.

Nice dog walk first thing then it was wet and windy and now it's even wetter and windier. Took my star garland off front door as it was banging in wind.

Took advantage of no dog ( does that sound really bed) and have all his bedding in the washing . Will get it dried overnight on the clothes horses in the kids rooms...will have to rethink my laundry arrangements tomorrow !

VJsmum - sorry to hear about your dad and I hope you get some more information soon.

Strange day today, part way through a strange week.

1) Not a bad sleep.

2) Hens OK.

3) New taxi escort jolly and motherly and she tactfully did not mention to smaller son what has happened to the old one! Other taxi boy very pleased indeed to have smaller son back with him and was (I was told) "very smiley all day". :-D

4) I went to archaeology which was inside (phew!) in someone's conservatory and the good bits were that we did finds processing and the group leader had made a vat of vegetable soup and he'd also made 2 different sorts of bread! The completely appalling bit was that one of the group members has died - well, we had been told that a couple of days back but it was even worse than that today.

He had not been to his usual evening group (also archaeology) for a while so the lecturer phoned our group leader - he didn't have to, so it was nice of him to be looking out for our chap. Our group leader phoned the man in the group who lives closest. These 2 chaps always come in the same car to our group - some considerable distance. The man who died is the Larry Grayson of archaeology and the other chap is the Brian Blessed! Brian (large former prison officer) was always mildly exasperated by Larry's fastidious ways. "Brian" drove round to check on Larry and knew as soon as he pulled up outside that he had died because the curtains were shut. It took him ages to ask the neighbours, at the local shop, to get the police out and he was beyond upset today to find that Larry had died alone about 9 days earlier and not been found. So today was working then suddenly breaking back into conversation about Larry and what we could have done differently to find him sooner. It appears that he fell down the stairs. A sad day.

5) A large Sainsburys order arrived after my mission to use the freezer stuff! So we actually have a choice of foods now and bread, milk, cheese and other useful things.

Hugs vjsmum sorry to hear your news
Sad to read your news too frith ds has cancelled his romantic trip to Paris due to gf’s dad dying. Was expected but still very sad
Oh dear re mincepiegate mhags thank goodness you were vigilant
1) watched the sunrise. Beautiful,lots of pinks
2) morning meeting 1st mince pies of the season. Small ones so I had 2. Glad i’m Not a dog :-)
3) friend got offered her dream job. It came up a year or so earlier than she planned so will need to do a bit of organising but woo hoo. Last time we talked she was a bit concerned about the timing. Today she was radiant so clearly the right choice
4) walked home -bit wet but not chilly. Tried phoning mum -no reply so, a little concerned, I called round. She’s fine but her phone, unbeknown to her, had died
5) She’s still a bit chesty but we had a great night. Chilli, bread wine and laughter. Then dd2came to pick me up, check3d over phone (defo died), switched with working phone, and has now plugged in new smart box. What a star

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